And I Fell
by Wari
Summary: Charlie plays a dangerous game, then finds himself 'King' of a highschool of disaffected youths. New relationships bloom and old ones sever as the last year of school passes. Alternate Universe/ SLASH warning (in later chapters)! / UPDATE: Ch. 9 added!
1. Prologue

Title: And I Fell… (Prologue)  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just send me the URL.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: I'd like to thank Ashley for "beta-ing" this fic for me since I suck at references and English in general. ^__^   
Note: This prologue probably won't make much sense at first, but all will fall into place later.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
  
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"One!"   
  
Distant sounds of clapping and hands striking against metal were heard around the silent schoolyard.  
  
"Two!"  
  
More clapping followed by a howl of curses drifted down to the ears of the spectators below.  
  
"Three!"  
  
They do as they are told and clap mindlessly to the count. They pray with all of their might that they do not slip and lose the game.  
  
The fourth count has passed, and a couple have lost their nerve to continue. They scuttle away from the outcrop and climb back into the arms of safety.  
  
Now only two remain.   
  
"Five!"  
  
The battle commences again and neither one is willing to back down and concede defeat.   
  
Too much is at stake to just walk away.   
  
Finally, it comes down to the eighth count. Both have fought long and hard to reach it, but no one has ever successfully attempted eight counts before. Tension surrounded the last two players.  
  
They have reached the point of no return.  
  
"Eight!"   
  
Echoes of simultaneous clapping and metal striking against the flesh of palms are heard. A startled cry emitted as a pair of hands clawed at the air, desperately reaching out for a rusty metal railing.  
  
The others winced and turned away, waiting for the loser to fall and the sound of the body's impact to resonate throughout the schoolyard.  
  
It never came.   
  
Instead, the boy was hanging from the railing, his hand gripping the metal so hard that it turned white.   
  
Sighs of relief could be heard all around as he was pulled back up onto the roof.  
  
Game over.  
  
Charlie stood in front of the run down building. He had been there the entire time, watching the events unfurl. He squinted back up, now gazing at the figure that stood towards the edge of the roof, silhouetted by the sun and arms raised in triumph.   
  
The ritual of the Clapping Game was officially over for this year and the winner had been determined.  
  
Charlie abruptly turned away from the spectacle and looked at the person beside him, Jesse.   
  
"One day, my friend," Jesse uttered, pausing to stare up at the victor atop the roof, "it's going to be us up there…"   
  
Charlie shrugged, but smiled down at his friend.   
  
"Sure, Jess."  
  
"I'm serious, Spazway."  
  
Jesse's lips curved up into a slow smirk, and he peered at Charlie from the corners of his eyes. He continued in a confident tone, "Hell, then we'll be the kings."   
  
Charlie's smile faded a bit and he nodded, not saying anything else.  
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	2. Back To School

Title: And I Fell… (Part 1 - "Back To School")  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: As usual, thanks to Ashley for the beta! And also thanks to Absgirl, Charisma, and Quimby for their wonderful feedback! ^___^  
Note: There's not much to this chapter because it's just there to establish relationships and characters.   
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. Lucky them. :P   
----------  
Charlie stepped off the public bus and walked towards the gates of his high school.   
  
Hill Haven.   
  
He laughed inwardly.   
  
The place should have been named HELL Haven.  
  
Running a hand through his ever-messy brown hair, Charlie looked past the gates. Practically everyone was already waiting there for him.   
  
He smirked, proceeding to where they stood.  
  
"Hey, Spazway!" exclaimed a shorter guy with dreadlocks who met him halfway. "Why the hell are you so late?" Jesse asked jokingly, punching Charlie's shoulder.   
  
"Good to see you, too, Jesse," Charlie said, giving his friend the finger. Jesse gladly returned the gesture. Charlie gave a short laugh, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up.  
  
He gazed at Jesse's head skeptically as he took a long drag.   
  
"You ARE my friend, Jesse Hall, right? I can't tell with that mess on your head," he said, flicking at one of Jesse's dreadlocks. The group broke out laughing at Jesse, who -- at that moment -- secretly swore to never adopt this hairstyle again.  
  
"Whatever, Charlie."  
  
Charlie grinned.   
  
They walked on further into the schoolyard but stopped as soon as they reached the steps of the main school building. One by one, the boys leaned against the graffiti covered wall and blatantly stared at the other students walking by, especially the girls, who immediately turned their eyes away.  
  
Kenny Wu, the youngest of the group present, sighed, suddenly speaking up.   
  
"Damn, what the hell is wrong with all these girls? They're all so goddamn uptight. Man, I need a good lay!" he complained, eyes trailing around the campus and lingering on the hems of all the skirts he found.   
  
Like an ever-petulant child, he kicked at the loose concrete beneath his shoes. Oh, the disappointment.  
  
"Yo, could someone tell the horndog to shut his trap?" a boy in shades asked, getting irritated with Ken's whining.  
  
"Bite me, Russ!" Ken yelled back, frustrated.  
  
"Make me, punk," the other retorted, eyes narrowing threateningly into dangerous slits.  
  
"Your mama!"  
  
Russ gave a loud laugh. "Is that the best diss you can come up with, small fry?" he taunted. "Huh?"  
  
Ken was about to launch himself from the wall and lunge at the boy, until he felt someone yank onto his collar, preventing him from mangling Russ.   
  
"Damn, man, let go!" he hollered and struggled, earning a slap on the back of the head by the boy that had grabbed him.   
  
"Stop it already! You both are getting on my damn nerves!" Luis exclaimed, letting go of Ken's collar and slumping back against the wall, massaging his temple.   
  
"It's bad enough that we have to be here for this year, but to hear you two going at it all the time," he paused, throwing his hands into the air and waving them around to indicate his exasperation. "Ay carrumba! That's just fuckin' annoying!"  
  
A boy with red hair and glasses standing to Luis's left couldn't help but let out a laugh.   
  
"I have to agree with Mendoza. You two sure go at like a couple of cocks," he said and laughed boisterously at his own joke. "Get it?"   
  
A venomous glare was directed at him -- compliments of Ken and Russ. The others let out a collective groan.  
  
"Shut up, Averman!" spat Ken.   
  
"Yeah, just stay out of it, cake-eater," Russ added, flipping him the bird.  
  
"Hey! Don't call me that!" the boy wailed, making everyone else plug their ears at the sound of his screeching.  
  
"Ahhhh!! Quit your bitching!" Jesse finally stepped in and placed a hand over Averman's mouth, effectively shutting up the incessant wailing.   
  
"God, tell me why I hang out with these idiots…" Jesse asked himself and turned to Charlie, hand still clapped over Averman's mouth. The insulted boy was trying to bite his hand, so he let go. Averman heard Jesse mutter something about rabies and made a face.  
  
Amidst the chaos stood Charlie, who said nothing.   
  
In fact, he wasn't even paying attention to the chatter. He was off in 'his own little world' again, as Jesse had come to call it, staring at nothing in particular. His eyes fell shut as he quietly puffed on the cigarette.  
  
"Hello? Earth to Charlie Conway. Charlie, are you there?"  
  
Charlie opened his eyes momentarily to stare at Jesse then allowed them to slide shut again. He sensed that the other was waving a hand in front of his face and opened his eyes.   
  
"What?"  
  
"You spaced out again, man."  
  
Charlie simply closed his eyes again and brought the cigarette back to his lips, inhaling.  
  
"So?" he asked dismissively.  
  
Jesse was about to retort, but another voice broke into the conversation before he could.   
  
"Hey!"   
  
All heads, with the exception of Charlie's, turned towards the two figures emerging through the gates and walking up to them. It was a girl with long, brown braided hair and a boy with short blond hair. The girl bounded up and greeted them with a delightful smile.   
  
"Hey, boys, welcome back! Guess what? I just got this new Polaroid camera yesterday and I'm dying to try it out! Wait, I've got a neat idea -- let's all take a picture!" she babbled, looking at everyone excitedly while the guy, who was obviously her boyfriend, quietly stood around with his hands stuffed in his pockets.  
  
Jesse looked dubious.   
  
"Connie, have you been sniffing those scented markers again?"  
  
Several snickers went around the group.   
  
"Talk to the hand, Jesse," she quipped then tossed her braid over her shoulder.  
  
"Come on, just indulge her once, please?" Guy, the blond, pleaded with Jesse.  
  
Slightly put off, Connie scoffed and elbowed Guy in the ribs. He winced while she giggled and held up the camera, polishing it with her sleeve.   
  
"Oh, puh-leeze, Guy, I can take care of it myself," she said and rolled her eyes.   
  
"Sure thing, babe," sighed Guy, taking a seat on the steps.   
  
Everyone snickered and Averman leaned over to nudge Dwayne, a boy wearing a cowboy hat and a confused expression on his face, in the side.  
  
"Ooh, Guy-Wee's whipped, I tell ya, Dwayne. Whipped like cream. Heheh."  
  
"I heard that, Averman," Guy growled. "And don't ever call me 'Guy-Wee' again or I will so kick your ass into next week," he added. Dwayne, though, still looked perplexed.  
  
"Whipped cream? Uh, you mean, like Guy's --"  
  
"Anyway!" Connie hollered before Dwayne could finish, showing them the camera,. "What are you all waiting for? C'mon, I want my picture. Chop chop, fellas! Let's go!"   
  
Everyone looked at one another, then at the camera, then back at Connie's eager face.  
  
"A picture? Now?" Goldberg asked, sounding like he was on the verge of a whine, and pointed at the camera in Connie's hands. "But pictures are for --"  
  
Connie glared at him.  
  
"-- um, really…cool people, yeah," he ended lamely and scurried away to hide behind Luis.  
  
The group now eyed Charlie, who was still reclining against the wall, smoking. Even though none of them would really admit it, Charlie was always the unspoken leader of their motley crew, and sure enough, they never actually acted on anything without his say-so.   
  
When Charlie finished the stick, he pushed himself off the wall and stuffed his hands into his uniform jacket pockets, walking up to the group.  
  
"Guys, you heard her," he said simply and set off in the direction of the school's back area.  
  
Connie flashed a victorious grin as everyone followed.  
  
----------  
  
"First day and we're already skipping classes," Luis commented absentmindedly from his position between Dwayne and Guy before slowly grinning. "Haha, works for me!"  
  
There they were, up on the roof of the main school building. Their unofficial hangout during classes, so to speak.  
  
Ken leaned forward, looking past Goldberg and at Russ with a wicked smile. "Heh, I'm gonna rat on you. Big time."  
  
"Do it and die, sucka," came the dangerous reply.  
  
"Here they go again," Averman complained and tapped Jesse, who squatted at his feet, on the shoulder. "One day, Wu-Man's really going to get it, eh?"  
  
"Cake-eaters, all of ya'll fools…" Jesse murmured, trying to ignore his three friends.  
  
Ken, who crossed his arms with a scowl, stood casually next to Goldberg. His jacket was currently unbuttoned to reveal a Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt underneath, which was undoubtedly a clear violation of the Hill Haven dress code. He didn't give a flip, though, since the teachers never really bitched about it. Finally deciding to change his stance, he rested an arm around Goldberg's shoulders instead.   
  
Goldberg had an exaggerated look of boredom on his face. He wished that Connie would just hurry up and take the stupid picture. God, he hated pictures! They always made him look a couple pounds heavier.  
  
Hunching on Goldberg's other side was Russ, who was glaring daggers at Ken's profile. Apparently, he was still riled up other boy. To Russ's left stood Averman, who was presently making grotesque faces at the camera.   
  
Meanwhile, Guy, Dwayne, Luis, and Jesse squatted down in front of them. Guy was busy practicing his smile and Dwayne was staring in awe at the camera. Luis was fixing his hair, as usual, while Jesse, on the other hand, opted for throwing up a random gang sign just for the hell of it. Unlike his friends, he wasn't going to look like a pansy-ass. No way.  
  
Connie looked through the view finder and squinted at the bunch. She could see everyone in the frame except Charlie.   
  
"Charlie, step closer," she said, still trying to get the camera to focus properly. "Damn complicated thing," she muttered under her breath, pushing a few buttons here and there and hearing strange sounding 'whirs' and 'clicks'.  
  
Charlie stood slightly off to the side, hands still stuffed in his pockets. After a few seconds, he strode up to Connie and exhaled sharply, taking the camera from her.   
  
"Forget me, Cons. You get in. I'll take it."  
  
"Gee, really? Thanks!"  
  
Connie seemed happy at the offer and jogged up to where the group was posing. She kneeled down next to Guy on the ground, flashing the camera a peace sign and a grin.   
  
Jesse raised his eyebrows, craning his head to the side, and spoke to Luis.   
  
"Still camera shy?" he questioned, nodding over to Charlie, who was also trying to get the focus to work.  
  
Luis shrugged. "Some guys just don't want to remember the good old days," he said simply and went back to smoothing out his hair.  
  
Jesse nodded slowly, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. He heard Russ scoff from somewhere behind him. "What a waste…" he commented off-handedly. Strangely, Jesse also shared that sentiment.  
  
"Ready yet?" Charlie drawled, capturing everyone's attention. He had the camera poised in his hands.   
  
Everyone bobbed their heads. The shutter clicked. 


	3. The Challenge

Title: And I Fell… (Part 2 - "The Challenge")  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: I did major reconstruction for the beginning of this chapter. (You see, I originally wrote this story, like, around a year ago). And if anyone has seen "Blue Spring," please don't laugh too hard at my references (i.e. scenes, conversations, setting) to the original movie. ^^;;   
Note: Short chapter. The shortest so far, anyways.   
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. Lucky them. :P   
  
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After their photo session atop the roof, they walked down the corridors of the dingy school, surveying the many layers of graffiti that graced the walls of the campus grounds. Wherever they went, years of history would stare back at them through all the filth in which they lay.   
  
This was Hill Haven's legacy.  
  
It was both a comforting and unsettling thing.   
  
The bleak atmosphere was their home, a place in which their actions would seem to matter much more than their lives back at their houses in the outside world. Such irony, seeing how a school had become their nothing and everything, wrapped up in one neat little package.  
  
Bless Hill Haven.  
  
They walked on, past other students who stood in the halls at their banged up lockers, past teachers who they had made them miserable throughout the years. But they always walked with their heads held high.   
  
It was their last year in this shit hole, after all. Might as well make the best of it.  
  
Charlie's stride was a leisurely one and Jesse was by his side, walking along aimlessly. For the moment, everyone else trailed behind them and talked mindlessly.  
  
"I've been hearing rumors that the state wants to shut down the school," Guy said with his arm around Connie's waist.  
  
"What? Why?" Dwayne asked, curious.  
  
Guy shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. No funding? Health code violation?" he offered.  
  
"Maybe they finally realized what a crummy death trap this dump really is," suggested Russ and earning a grin from everyone.  
  
"You know what?" Connie began, "I think they should get rid of these uniforms. If they're short on cash, they can save money by letting us we wear what we want. I mean, why do we even have them?"  
  
"So dirty old men can fantasize about you being a naughty little schoolgirl. Duh!" Luis grinned lecherously as Kenny and Goldberg proceeded to fill the hallway with their loud catcalls. Connie threw them all a disapproving look.  
  
"Eww, that's sick, Luis!"  
  
"Hmm, he's got a point there, Cons," said Averman, who was openly checking out her legs.  
  
Guy and Connie each shot him a death glare while everyone else laughed at her expense, including Charlie and Jesse who had overheard the conversation.  
  
However, their fun was short-lived as the group rounded a corner and stopped. Their laughter immediately quieted down.  
  
"Well, well, well…if it isn't Conway and his little posse."  
  
A teenaged boy with dark hair and eyes stood before them. Behind him were two other guys. One would assume that they were obviously his friends.  
  
Charlie stared at him calmly. "Hello, Riley."  
  
A smirk.   
  
"My, have we developed manners over the summer? I'm so glad to see that you enjoyed finishing school."  
  
Rick Riley's friends sniggered at the line, helping to bolster his huge ego even more.   
  
Jesse sneered, about to step forward when Charlie held out an arm to stop him.  
  
Riley laughed mockingly, fixing Charlie and Jesse with an amused gaze.   
  
"Charlie, Charlie, I know we can't fucking stand each other, but PLEASE keep your dog on a leash!"  
  
Jesse's nostrils flared at the insult. He was ready to jump at Riley, but the two guys behind him stepped forward together, shielding their leader from any blow that Jesse could deliver.  
  
But Riley wasn't the only one with backup. Jesse smirked as the rest of Charlie's group advanced to stand face to face with Riley's gang, which was clearly outnumbered.  
  
The other students standing around were already taking bets as soon as it looked like there was to be a brawl between the two infamous rival gangs right there in the halls.   
  
Suddenly, in a surprisingly bold move, Riley strode out from the protection of his thugs and towards Charlie.  
  
And in an equally unexpected act, Charlie waited for Riley to walk over to where he waited.   
  
They exchanged an even glare, but did not move to strike each other. The two gangs stood back, eyes glued to their respective leaders. Riley was the first to speak.  
  
"Now, let's be civilized about this," he began, glancing back at both groups then back to Charlie. "Honestly, I don't want my boys to kick any asses today, so let's not get into that right now. After all, this matter only revolves around us, right?"  
  
Charlie nodded and kept quiet while Riley continued.   
  
"Well, Conway, how about we settle what's between us without involving them? Then we'll finally see who's the better man."  
  
Charlie nodded again, still not saying anything in return. Riley began to get annoyed.   
  
"Did you forget how to talk or something?" he asked snidely.  
  
Charlie ignored that question and prompted the other at last. "How do you expect us to settle this?"  
  
Riley smirked, satisfied at being able to rouse Charlie into speaking.   
  
"We're going to play a game, Conway…"   
  
Dwayne gasped and Connie shushed him.  
  
Riley continued. "And as you know, we both are eligible this year."  
  
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I get the picture."   
  
"Good. Four o' clock. The roof of this building."  
  
Cole, one of the guys in Riley's group who looked like he'd taken one too many steroid pills, turned to the other boy, Scooter, who by far looked like your average pretty-boy. They whispered between themselves, occasionally throwing Charlie's group a threatening look that only managed to scare Averman.  
  
"Well? What do you say?" Riley asked.  
  
Silence followed, accompanied by a defiant pair of eyes belonging to none other than Charlie.   
  
"I'll be there."  
  
-------------------- 


	4. Calm Before The Storm

Title: And I Fell… (Part 3 - "Calm Before the Storm")   
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: Thanks to Ashley and all who read and like this story!   
Notes: Yes, the mandatory set-up, folks, but the game begins in the next part.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
------------  
"Of all the luck in the world, we had to run into Riley and his punk friends on the first day back," Jesse griped while carving his name onto the desk with a pocketknife.  
  
He, Charlie, Luis, and Ken sat in a cluster together at the back of the classroom. Meanwhile, Russ, Goldberg, Averman, and Guy were assigned their homeroom next door instead. Connie, though, was on the other side of the building.  
  
Luis and Ken were too busy playing with a paper football to really join the conversation. Charlie merely sat back and looked out the window, tuning out Jesse's ranting and the lesson currently being taught by their teacher, a middle-aged balding man with a horrible lisp.  
  
"Charlie? You listening, man?" Jesse asked, annoyed at being ignored again.  
  
Charlie turned away from the window.  
  
"Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?"  
  
Jesse sighed, repeating himself. "I said, are you ready to face Riley this afternoon??" Jesse hated to nag Charlie, but lately, his friend was spacing out more than usual.  
  
Charlie shrugged, feeling quite indifferent about the whole deal.   
  
"What kind of an answer is that?!"  
  
He shrugged again and Jesse wanted to stab himself in the eye with his knife. He shook his head at Charlie.   
  
"Well, man, I got your back. I won't let you do it alone," he declared. Seeing Charlie absentmindedly nod, he added, "Besides, we've been waiting a long time for this moment, right?"  
  
Charlie slowly sat up, beginning to take what Jesse was saying seriously. He fixed him with 'the look.'  
  
"Jess, you don't have to --"  
  
"I can and I will, Spazway. You know how much it means to me. Heh, been waiting too damn long, in my opinion."  
  
Charlie fell silent. Jesse was a stubborn ass, and lucky for him, Charlie could be a pretty patient guy, if he wished.  
  
"Fine," he said, abandoning their discussion and turning once again to the window, missing the smug grin on Jesse's face.  
  
----------  
  
School had let out for almost an hour and four o' clock had rolled around. Charlie and his bunch made their way up to the roof where, no doubt about it, Riley would already be waiting for him.  
  
Charlie opened the door and sunlight flooded the dark stairwell. One by one, they stepped through the doorway and found themselves standing on the roof.   
  
Indeed, Riley (flanked by Cole and Scooter as usual) was patiently waiting there. However, Charlie wasted no time.  
  
"All right, Riley. I'm here, so let's play," he spoke, walking past the other teen and towards the 'playing field.'  
  
Riley smirked, following him to the railing. "Sure thing, Conway."  
  
The referee, a boy Charlie recognized from one of his classes, went over to stand before Riley and Charlie at the railings.   
  
"I'm sure that whoever stands here at this moment knows what is about to happen," the boy commented, staring particularly at Riley and Charlie.  
  
The nodding of their heads confirmed the referee's assumption.  
  
"Good. But seeing that there are lots of new faces around here today," he paused to stare at the freshmen, who have come to watch, and continued, "I'll be happy to explain the…hmm…" he thought hard for the right word, "…mechanics of the game, ok?"  
  
Nobody dare spoke so the boy went on in an authoritative tone.   
  
"Anyway, the game that these guys are playing is called the Clapping Game. It's a yearly event held in the fall season, officially on the first day of school, which is today. And basically, what they do," he jerked a thumb in the two boys' direction, "is hold onto the railing at the start of the game. After that, they compete against one another by attempting to clap the highest number of times while letting go of the rail and leaning away from the ledge.   
  
"If they're lucky," the ref smirked, "they'll be able to grab the railing in time before they fall."  
  
Jesse knew the drill. It wasn't the first time he'd heard this stuff before. After all, he had been dreaming of this day since his freshman year. He took a look over the edge. They were about four floors up from the ground. From where he stood, the roof overlooked the weed-infested athletic field below. Starting to feel a bit uneasy, Jesse finally turned his attention back to the referee as he finished his explanation.  
  
"…and the last person left, will be recognized as King of the school for the upcoming school year. And immediately following that will be the ritual graffiti covering of the Great Wall in the south hall."  
  
Out of nowhere, Averman snickered. "Heheh, the Great Wall… I'll never get over that." Someone stepped on his foot (most-likely Goldberg, he figured), shutting him up.   
  
Meanwhile, awestruck faces stared at one another and eager whispers were heard. However, the crowd fell silent once again as soon as the boy began listing off the rules of the game.  
  
"Rule #1," he started, clearing his throat. "To be able to compete, you MUST be an upperclassman. In other words, a senior. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule."  
  
Some of the spectators looked disappointed while others merely shrugged.   
  
"Funny how that's the only rule I can agree on," whispered Connie to Guy, who automatically took hold of her hand.   
  
"Rule #2," continued the ref. "You must cleanly complete the number of claps called or you will be disqualified.  
  
"Rule #3 -- If you choose to stop in the middle of the game, you will be disqualified.  
  
"And finally, the most important rule of all," the boy grinned wickedly.   
  
"Rule #4 -- You fall, you lose."  
  
"What a sick joke, dawg," said Russ with a slight grimace.   
  
Everyone exchanged a glance.  
  
"So, uh…" the ref began again, looking around. "Anyone else gonna play or is this all we have to work with?"  
  
Jesse walked out of the crowd to stand beside Charlie, and soon after, a rather tough-looking boy also stepped forward to stand on Riley's side.  
  
"Why the hell is he playing?" asked Guy, who gestured to the newcomer.   
  
"Yeah, shouldn't he be somewhere with his friends smoking crack or something? This doesn't seem like something he'd be interested in," Luis said, looking at the tall boy that stood with Charlie, Jesse, and Riley.  
  
"I don't know what the hell he's doing, but you have to hand it to Fulton -- doing stupid stunts while he's high. Yep, he's really asking for it," Averman said, snickering until Connie elbowed him.  
  
"You guys, shut up! This is a serious moment!" she whispered, quite irritated. Averman groaned, rubbing his sore ribs. Connie really has dangerous elbows, he mused.  
  
"All right, four contestants. That's a good number," the ref mused aloud then gestured for the four to take their places behind the railing. The four boys carefully climbed over to the other side, their feet perched on a small ledge of the building. Four pairs of hands gripped the wrought iron metal.   
  
Of all of the times he had imagined this exact moment in the past, Jesse had never once thought of the reality that he was about to face. Craning his neck around to look down below, he suddenly realized again how high up they actually were. The people watching on safe ground looked so small from where he stood. He was beginning to feel unsettled once more.   
  
"Shit this is high…" he mumbled, swallowing the lump in his throat and saying a prayer in his head. He wasn't prepared when Charlie suddenly leaned back and shook the rail to test its stability.   
  
The unexpected movement nearly gave Jesse a heart attack, and he let out a surprised squeak, earning himself amused stares from the students who came to watch on the roof. Even his friends were trying to suppress a giggle or two.   
  
Another blow to his dignity in the same day.   
  
He glared at Charlie, who had his head turned the other way.  
  
"C'mon, you chicken shits," Charlie breathed, wanting to get started already.  
  
"Ready?" the referee asked.  
  
One after another, they nodded. Jesse was the last to signal that he was ready to begin.   
  
One last moment of calm, just enough to gather their wits…  
  
Then the countdown was initiated.  
  
-------------------------- 


	5. It's Dejavu!

Title: And I Fell… (Part 4 - "It's Dejavú!")  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: I didn't like this part. I don't even remember how I was able to write it. Anyway, I thought it sucked, but it's one of the most important parts so far.  
Note: I made up the "Minnesota Millions" lottery, or at least, I THINK I did. Yikes.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
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The countdown began.  
  
"One!" shouted the ref and the others leaned back, clapped once, and clutched the rail.   
  
Simple enough, even child's play.  
  
"Two!"  
  
They all clapped twice.   
  
Still too easy.   
  
"Three!"   
  
Three claps, all completed. Jesse felt his palms becoming sweaty. He hastily rubbed them on his pant legs before the next count began.  
  
"Four!"  
  
As the count went up a notch, so did the tension in the air.   
  
"Five!"  
  
The claps were beginning to sound sloppy and hurried by the fifth count. The referee pursed his lips, his watchful gaze shifting to the far right.  
  
"Stop, hold it," he spoke, holding up his hand to bring the game to an abrupt halt.   
  
"Fulton, right?" the tall referee asked, strolling over to stand in front of the other teen. Fulton nodded once.   
  
"Sorry, dude, you're disqualified."  
  
The latter's expression was one of slight shock, but he did not question the referee's decision. Fulton knew that he couldn't sneak by the watchful eyes with only four claps. He simply mumbled something incoherent and swung his legs over the railing. The tall boy left the roof without a word, not bothering to stick around for the rest of the game. The audience watched him go.  
  
"Ok, three contestants left," the ref idly commented. "Let's begin again, shall we, gentlemen?"   
  
Charlie and Riley were still doing well enough. In fact, anyone would say that they were in a league of their own. Six counts won't be difficult.   
  
Jesse, though, was starting to have second thoughts about the whole ordeal. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to finish six whole claps.   
  
He nervously bit his lip.   
  
As much as he hated to do it, he made a decision.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
The ref turned around, addressing him.   
  
"Huh? What's the matter?"  
  
"I…I can't -- I forfeit the game."  
  
Brows knitting, Charlie stared at Jesse who looked very defeated.   
  
"Ok, then, Jesse, you are officially dismissed from the game."  
  
Jesse clambered back onto the roof and left silently, brushing past the rest of his friends, who patted his shoulders sympathetically. He didn't dare look at Charlie as he stepped through the doorway and back into the darkness of the stairwell.   
  
The ref's voice broke the silence of Jesse's departure. "Well, I can't say that this has never happened before because it has," he turned to the remaining players with an amusing look.   
  
"Ah, and then there were two…" he lightly tapped his fingers on the railing.  
  
Riley smirked. "It'll be fun watching you fall, Conway."  
  
Charlie kept his gaze forward and neutral. "Likewise, Riley."   
  
He allowed a tiny smirk to touch his lips.  
  
"All right, enough chit-chat, we'll start again on the count of six." The referee stood once more in front of them.   
  
"Ready, boys?"  
  
Both players mentally psyched themselves up and waited for the count to continue.  
  
"Six!"  
  
Six completed claps each. Riley ground his teeth, annoyed that Charlie was still in the fight. He hadn't expected his rival to make it this far into the game. He wanted to win, and he wasn't about to let a nobody like Conway get in the way of his victory.  
  
"Seven!"  
  
Charlie executed the seven claps and reached out to grab the railing.   
  
His heart skipped a beat as he held onto the metal with one hand, the other having slipped off. Charlie cursed silently while Riley looked over with a disturbingly haughty smile. Excited whispers and audible gasps were heard on both the roof and on the ground below.  
  
"Whoa, did you see that?? Charlie barely made it!" Dwayne croaked out and tugged on Kenny's sleeve.  
  
"Damn! Poor guy's screwed. I think Riley's gonna win," said Averman thoughtfully.  
  
Everyone turned to the redhead. "AVERMAN!!!"  
  
"What?? I was only kidding! Honest!"  
  
"Averman, are you crazy or something? That was just a fluke! Charlie's gonna pull through," Goldberg affirmed with a confident nod of his head.  
  
Charlie closed his eyes, shutting out the words, the whispers, and the world. After all, did they really care if he won? Everyone, even his friends, just probably came to watch some poor loser fall off a building…   
  
The referee's voice broke through his thoughts.   
  
"Hey, Conway, you ready?"  
  
Riley's expression turned incredulous. He turned to the ref and Charlie.   
  
"What's the meaning of this?!" he bellowed indignantly.  
  
The ref raised a brow, tilting his chin up in defiance. "What's the meaning of what?"   
  
"You know what I meant! He's supposed to be disqualified! He didn't grab onto the rail!" Riley growled, pointing an accusing finger at Charlie.  
  
"Disqualified? Well, as a matter of fact, he did grab onto the railing…even if it was with one hand. But who are you to demand that he's disqualified, huh? Have you been the referee for three damn years, Riley?"   
  
Riley felt his blood boil at hearing the blatant mockery of the question. He was surrounded by a bunch of fools! He reminded himself that as soon as he'd won the game, that meddling referee was definitely going to pay for delaying his victory.  
  
After restoring order and quieting down the crowd, the ref signaled for the game to resume at the eighth count.   
  
On the sidelines, Connie wrung her hands worriedly, Dwayne bit his lip, and everyone else held their breath. The memory of the dreaded eighth count, the highest count ever played in the history of the game, was still fresh on their minds. They prayed that Charlie would succeed, or at least, still be alive once it was over.  
  
Charlie took a deep breath and concentrated, directing all of his will into what he knew would probably be the climax of this year's game. The ref was lenient enough to let him get away with the seventh count, but he couldn't afford to slip up again. His pulse raced as he waited.  
  
"Eight!!"   
  
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as Charlie and Riley began to clap. Charlie felt as if he was suspended in molasses, that he wasn't moving quick enough as he was falling. Panic gripped him at the thought of his body lying bloody and broken in the middle of the courtyard below, a shameful display of his loss for all to see...   
  
Besides, he wouldn't want his friends to go through the trouble of explaining the incident to his mom.   
  
That would definitely not be pretty.  
  
Charlie heard the sound of his blurred clapping echoing loudly in his ears, drowning out all other noises. He almost panicked as he felt himself continuing to fall back further and further away from the edge. Then finally, the moment arrived and he delivered his final clap. Charlie's long arms shot out to grab the railing and relief flooded his system as he felt his palms come in contact with rusted metal.  
  
A small scream, though, made him whip his head to the left where Riley hung helplessly by his ankle from the railing. If his foot hadn't have gotten caught between the metal bars, he certainly would have fallen. Charlie swallowed at the thought.  
  
The audience was momentarily in shock from the outcome and even the referee remained silent. Since no one made any motion to help the struggling boy, Charlie quickly sprung over the railing and helped Riley climb back onto the roof.  
  
Riley laid sprawled out on the roof, his chest heaving from extreme fright and exhaustion. Two figures hovered above him. The shorter of the two spoke.  
  
"Riley, you lose," the ref said with a big grin, enjoying the sour look it brought to Riley's face. He turned from the fuming boy and addressed the crowd that had gathered to watch.   
  
"I officially declare Charlie Conway the winner!"   
  
The crowd on the roof and in the courtyard hooted and hollered boisterously with the exception of Riley's crew that rushed over to their fallen leader and helped him up. Charlie stood aside and let them pass. Riley's look of fury didn't intimidate him in the least, and he allowed himself a smug smile.   
  
"This isn't over yet, Conway. Being King doesn't make you shit, and it certainly won't save you from me."  
  
"Fuck off, Riley," Charlie muttered and walked away before any more words could be swapped.  
  
The game was over and he'd triumphed, and that was all that mattered for now.  
  
"Way to go, Charlie!" shouted Connie who quickly rushed toward him with the others following close behind. They all took turns giving Charlie congratulatory pats on his shoulders, smiling and grinning like they'd won the 'Minnesota Millions' lottery.  
  
"Man, Charlie, you should've just left that asshole out to dry," Ken exclaimed, glaring at Riley's retreating form that was constantly surrounded by his underlings. "He didn't even thank you for helping him or anything. Ungrateful son of a bitch…"   
  
Charlie merely waved a dismissing hand at his friend. "I don't expect anything from him now, and I don't expect anything from him in the future. Riley is Riley, Ken. Just let it go."   
  
Ken nodded, considering his wise leader's words.  
  
"Alright, whatever you say, 'King'," he added with a sly cackle.  
  
Atop the roof, the grouped cheered once more for Charlie's victory. They continued with even more anxious planning about a party at Goldberg's to celebrate the event.  
  
Around them, the crowd was beginning to dissipate now that this year's Clapping Game had ended. Charlie ran a hand through his hair, looked out at the horizon, and turned to his friends.  
  
"Hey, you guys, where's Jesse?"  
  
----------  
  
A despondent figure sat crouched against a tree, staring out at the setting sun.   
  
An empty bottle of Smirnoff Vodka sat at his feet.   
  
He spun the bottle around, listening to it scrape against the concrete as if mesmerized by the very sound. Eventually, the trance was broken and Jesse chucked the bottle away with a grunt, hearing it shatter into what he thought was a million pieces some distances off.   
  
He hung his head between his knees, sitting in quiet contemplation, until…  
  
"Jesse, what are you doing?"  
  
Jesse's head snapped up at hearing Charlie's soft voice. He stared up at his best friend and forced a smile to his lips.   
  
"Hey, congratulations, white boy! You did it, man! You won!" He cheerfully spoke and quickly pushed himself up to a stand. He wasted no time in giving Charlie a hearty handshake.  
  
"Thanks, but you still haven't answered my question."  
  
Jesse's smile faded and was replaced with a embarrassed look. "Oh, yeah…"  
  
"Yeah," Charlie affirmed, taking a step closer and peering into Jesse's face.  
  
Jesse sighed and looked away from him.   
  
"I wanted to be alone, ok?"  
  
Charlie nodded, understanding. He didn't want to upset Jesse with anymore questions, so he didn't push his friend into giving him an answer. It was pretty obvious what was wrong, anyway. The tall leader threw his arm around Jesse's shoulder and led him through the school gates and off campus.  
  
Charlie tried to smile encouragingly. He never considered himself to be good at this comforting stuff, but for Jesse's sake, he gave it a shot.  
  
"C'mon, let's go to Goldberg's house. The guys are already waiting there with free booze and everything for the party. Hey, now that I think about it, we'd better hurry over. You know how funny it is when they're all drunk off their asses, right?"  
  
Jesse couldn't help but crack a smile as he pictured a drunkenly chaotic scene at Goldberg's home. He let out a low chuckle and received a friendly pat on his shoulder from Charlie, who smiled in relief.   
  
Feeling his mood lift, Jesse's grinned. It always made him feel a little better knowing that he at least had a friend who cared.  
  
He put aside his misery and simply enjoyed the presence of Charlie's company as they walked through the city together. As long as he had Charlie as a friend, he knew he'd be all right.  
  
-------------  
  
Real crappy, but I hope that the actual game wasn't written too confusingly. 


	6. That Boy

Title: And I Fell… (Part 5 - "That Boy")  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: This chapter goes out to everyone who's been wondering where the heck our favorite Cake-Eater's been!  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P   
  
-----------  
  
[[A few months later…]]  
  
"Hey, Kenny! Throw it over here!"  
  
"No, man, throw it here!"  
  
Ken pivoted around on the worn down linoleum floor, imitating a basketball move he'd picked up playing on the courts. He flashed a quick grin at Russ and Luis, his eyes shifting sideways to the figure hunched in the corner. A lean, blond-haired boy stood quietly clutching a tattered notebook against his chest. His wide eyes helplessly watched as Ken ran around with his bag.   
  
"Not today, boys! I'm going for the gold!" Ken shouted, snickering. He aimed the black bag in his hands in the direction of the trash can and shot it into the air. The bag made a dull 'thump' against the metal and disappeared into the recesses of the trash and rubbish inside.  
  
"Score!" whooped a laughing Ken, who turned to Luis and gave him a high five. Even Russ was grinning.   
  
"Little man, even I've got to give you props on that one. Haha!"  
  
The boy flinched at their laughter as he left the corner and shuffled up to the can. He peered down to search for his bag and immediately grimaced, seeing it covered in a heap of something that looked really disgusting and smelled equally as bad.   
  
He fought back a wave of nausea. Another loud laugh startled him, and he whipped his body around to face the three grinning bullies.  
  
"Please, don't…" he pleaded, unconsciously taking a step back and bumping into the can. The action earned an amused look shared by Russ and Luis. Ken, though, plastered a sly smile on his face and took a couple steps forward.  
  
"What's the matter, Banks? Afraid of a little…" Ken paused to take a look into the bin, the impish smile never leaving his lips, "…garbage?"  
  
Banks whimpered as rough hands grabbed onto him and pushed.  
  
----------  
  
Charlie walked down the hall with Jesse chatting idly by his side. Today was an extremely dull day, he thought, running a hand through his hair. He looked around the hallway, and stared at the other students, whose eyes quickly averted as the King's casual glance swept by. That was something Charlie felt himself getting used to since his victory atop the roof --  
  
Power and control over his peers and underclassmen.   
  
He felt it all, but it still made him feel a little strange, though.  
  
At that moment, Riley and his gang strolled past Charlie and Jesse, pausing to sneer at the pair before continuing down the hallway and disappearing out of sight.  
  
Well, at least Riley and his goons didn't grovel at their feet. There was still some backbone left in this place.  
  
Charlie brushed off his thoughts and heard familiar voices laughing in the distance. He immediately recognized them as Ken's, Luis', and Russ'. He heard Jesse chuckle faintly, then shifted his eyes down to his friend, who stared back with a devilish grin.  
  
"I wonder what those idiots are up to…" he said and motioned for Charlie to follow him toward the raucous laughter.  
  
They found their three friends standing around a garbage can and laughing so hard that they nearly tripped over themselves. Charlie quirked an eyebrow and leaned against the wall while Jesse wandered up to Ken and asked him what they were laughing at. Ken sniggered and pointed into the bin.   
  
More boisterous laughing was heard, and the noise was beginning to catch the attention of other students passing by. Many of them looked away as soon as they recognized Charlie's mob as the members of the Flying 'V.'   
  
Charlie stood back and watched them all resignedly. He knew very well what had happened, and he felt a bit of sympathy for the poor loser who'd been dumped into the trash by his gang.   
  
It wasn't the first time that something like this occurred, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.  
  
Deciding that doing his good deed for the day wouldn't hurt, he got up and walked over to the group, giving them an annoyed look as he approached.  
  
"Hey, whose idea was this?" he asked.  
  
Ken sobered up and turned to face Charlie, looking a bit startled. "Uh, it was mine, Charlie."  
  
Charlie sighed and looked over at the can then back to Ken. "Well, Kenny, what's in there?"  
  
"Or more appropriately, WHO's in there. Ha ha!" Jesse interjected, slapping Charlie on the back while trying to suppress his laughter. Charlie ignored him. Instead, he nodded to Russ and Luis, who immediately scuttled up to the bin and hauled out a slender boy covered in garbage and clasping a black bag.  
  
Obscured by a fringe of dirty blond hair, a pair of fearful blue eyes stared back at him.   
  
Charlie gave the dirty-looking blond a cool gaze before turning back to Ken again.  
  
"Hey, Charlie, we were just having a little fun, you know?" Ken explained and gave a nervous laugh before shutting up completely at Charlie's hard stare. Fortunately, Jesse stepped in on Ken's behalf.   
  
"Yo, Charlie, Kenny was just goofin', man. Don't be so hard on him."  
  
Charlie threw Jesse a sideward glance before looking back to the spot where the blond sat, which was now empty. He frowned.  
  
"Charlie?"   
  
It was Jesse again.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Forget it and let's go. We gotta meet up with some people in the cafeteria."  
  
Charlie nodded and Jesse dutifully went to round up Ken, Luis, and Russ.   
  
The brunette's eyes strayed back to where the garbage can laid turned over, trash scattered everywhere.   
  
Something unusual laid among the rubbish.  
  
From where he stood, it looked like beat up notebook.  
  
"Charlie, you coming?" Jesse yelled from somewhere down the hall.  
  
"Yeah, in a sec," he muttered and walked over to the notebook, picking it up and opening it to the front page. A name was scrawled in messy handwriting at the very top.  
  
Adam Banks.  
  
-------------  
  
He took the opportunity to sneak away when they were distracted.   
  
Running as fast as he could, he never even glanced back. He ran and ran until he found himself on the other side of campus. The boy finally slumped over the water fountain in exhaustion. He greedily swallowed gulps of water before a hand clapped over his shoulder, making him jump back in surprise and slashing some water on himself. Adam placed a hand on his chest to steady his heartbeat.   
  
"Whoa! Adam, are you ok?"  
  
A pretty girl with long blond hair stood before him, wearing a curious expression.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Julie. Just…just a little jumpy," he sighed and gave a strained smile. She quirked a fair brow at him.  
  
"O-kay. Well, if you don't mind me asking," she paused, looking him up and down, "why on earth do you look and smell like you just crawled out of a dumpster?"   
  
A faint blush crept up to Adam's cheeks.   
  
Julie's playful mood waned and she gasped.  
  
"Oh, my god, Adam! What happened?" Julie asked, giving him a worried look. She watched as he tossed his bag to the floor and propped himself against the filthy wall. Adam was silent for a few moments and his reticence was starting to unnerve her. She strode over and sat next to him, cursing as she fitfully arranged her uniform skirt around her lap.  
  
"Banks, tell me what happened," she prodded and poked him lightly in the ribs. He gently slapped her hand away, looking annoyed. The action brought a scowl from Julie.  
  
"Well, are you going to tell me this century or what??" she nagged.  
  
"…"  
  
"Banks, if you don't tell me, I'm going to keep on buggin' you," she warned in an irritating, sing-song-like voice.   
  
Adam finally turned to face her. "All right, all right. If you really must know, I ran into a few of the 'Flying Jerks' and they messed me up, ok?"   
  
Julie laid a hand on his shoulder. "Adam, it'll be all right."  
  
Adam smiled wryly, still tinged red and not saying a word. Julie frowned then sighed deeply.  
  
"Look, I'm here for you, alright? You can always come to me."  
  
"Jules. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Let's just drop this subject, please."  
  
"But Adam --" she insisted.  
  
"Please?" Adam's request left no room for discussion. From the corner of his eye, he saw Julie nod tentatively.   
  
"Ok, whatever you say, Banksie."   
  
At times like these, he was really grateful for a friend like Julie Gaffney. No one knew him as well as she did. Besides, no one in his life could ever tolerate his mood swings like she could. Not even his own parents and they were his flesh and blood.  
  
Thinking about his parents always did make him depressed.   
  
Adam quickly pushed his thinking aside and reached for his bag. Rummaging through his belongings, he heard Julie's disgusted sigh.   
  
"God, they're such jerks. Why can't they just grow up like you and me? They make me sick. Every last one of them," she hissed. Dwelling on their tormentors never failed to get a rise out of her.  
  
"Julie…" he admonished.  
  
"Fine, sorry. I'll just shut up now."  
  
Adam shook his head and continued searching. He often shared Julie's views on the moral decay of Hill Haven, and especially the 'Flying Jerks.' It wasn't that hard, since he hated both aspects as much as she did. He sighed, continuing to feel around for a familiar spiral binding.   
  
"Hey, Julie?" he asked, glancing over to see her twiddling her thumbs. She looked up at him expectantly.  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Have you seen my notebook?"  
  
A thoughtful expression flitted across her face. She shook her head, tossing her long golden hair. "Nope, I haven't. Isn't it in your bag?"  
  
Adam peered into the bag once more. "Nuh uh, it's not there."  
  
"Well, then how should I know where it is? Do I look like Ms. Cleo?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
Feeling a headache forming, Adam didn't even bother with a smart comeback. Instead, he settled for frantically clawing through the black messenger bag and flinging the contents around him as he searched.  
  
"Julie! It's not here! I had it just a while ago! Crap, where is it?!"  
  
"Adam! Calm down! Jeez, you're going to pop a vein if you keep going on like that," she warned and began combing through Adam's things, which laid on the floor. After a good while of looking around the area, passing students were beginning to give them weird glances. Eventually, they gave up looking for the missing notebook.  
  
"Oh, Jules, this sucks," Adam moaned pitifully, slumping down to sit on the floor. He banged the back of his head against a set of lockers once. "I had important stuff in there," he groaned and pouted.  
  
Picking up Adam's things and placing them back in his bag, Julie knelt down to clean up the scattered objects. She'd never say it out loud, but she really felt sorry for the poor guy right about now. She stood and set the bag in his lap.  
  
"Adam, we'll find it. Trust me, I know we will," she assured.   
  
"But, Jules!" he whined before cautiously looking to see if anyone else was listening. "It's my…diary, for goodness's sake!"  
  
Julie stared tiredly at her raving friend. "I KNOW that, Adam. I'm not stupid."  
  
Adam looked at her skeptically.   
  
Scoffing at his look, she rolled her eyes heavenward and smacked him on the arm.   
  
"You bonehead! Quit being a baby and just think about something else for now!" she snapped then stopped to crinkle her nose in distaste. "Ew, like hygiene, for starters. Besides that god-awful smell, have you taken a look at yourself yet? You're a friggin' mess!" she exclaimed.  
  
Adam looked offended. "Gee, thanks for the compliment, Jules. And I am NOT a baby."  
  
"Yeah, actually, you're not. In fact, you're more of a GIRL. Anyway, let's go get you cleaned up!" Julie grabbed Adam's hand and yanked him to his feet. He stumbled and almost lost his balance.  
  
"Hey, where are you taking me?!" he demanded.  
  
"Where do you think, Einstein? Now, come on!" she ordered, punctuating the command with a sharp tug of Adam's hand and leaving him no room to protest as she dragged him across the schoolyard and towards the bathrooms.  
  
---------------------------- 


	7. I Don't Like the Drugs, But the Drugs Li...

Title: And I Fell… (Part 6 - "I Don't Like the Drugs, But the Drugs Like Me")  
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!  
Comments: Wow, I wrote a drug chapter (and a pretty short one, at that). Now, onto gun violence, sexual situations, and all that fun stuff…  
Note: 'Bash' in this context is slang for 'marijuana.' And as for the other terms, trust me -- they're all very, very bad drugs. (go to or for more information)  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
--------------------  
"Hey, gimme a hit, Portman."  
  
A lit joint passed from one hand to another.  
  
"All right, man, but just one. We can't smoke all of the Mr. B's dope."  
  
A curt nod was followed by a deep drag. Fulton's lungs filled with soothing smoke as he inhaled. He loved getting high, especially when he didn't have to pay for it. Besides the free samples, he and Portman also received good pay, which was definitely another perk of working for higher ups. All in all, life was good.  
  
"Shit, that really hit the spot," he breathed, a slow smile spreading across his face as a stream of blue-gray smoke escaped past his lips. His companion let out a low chuckle.  
  
"You finished or what? It's time we get to selling, dude." Portman plucked the burned-out joint from Fulton's fingers and tossed it away.  
  
"Hey! I was still smoking that, asshole," Fulton protested and got up, dusting off his trousers. He shot Portman, the taller of the two, a nasty look. The other just grinned evilly.  
  
"Quit whining, pothead, and come on. We got an appointment with Jesse."  
  
Fulton raised a questioning brow. "Hall? He's buying? Since when?"  
  
"Since today. Now, let's get goin'! I heard he's got a lot of dough on him," Portman cackled and took off in the vicinity of the cafeteria with Fulton eventually falling into step beside him.  
  
------------------  
  
Adam Banks.  
  
Charlie thumbed through the notebook casually. He paid no interest to his friends' horseplay at their lunch table. The name rolled off his tongue in a silent whisper.  
  
"Adam Banks."   
  
The look of humiliation and fright on the blonde's face flashed before his eyes, making him feel ever more curious.  
  
It had to be him, right? Adam Banks? This notebook was his then?  
  
He looked up from the pages, his thinking disturbed, as Jesse sat down across from him.  
  
"Hey, man, whatcha got there?" Jesse asked, peering at the notebook in Charlie's hands.  
  
"Nothing important," he replied nonchalantly, automatically closing the book and shoving it into his backpack. Jesse shrugged and leaned back on the bench. Charlie propped his elbows on the table and stared blankly at Jesse's back.  
  
"So who are we meeting?" he asked suddenly.   
  
Jesse turned towards Charlie, but looked right past him. Instead, he seemed to be nodding to someone behind the brown-haired boy. Charlie looked over his shoulder and spied two tall figures heading to their table.  
  
He immediately recognized them as Dean Portman and Fulton Reed. The 'Bash Brothers.'  
  
Turning to face Jesse, Charlie fixed him with a level glare.  
  
"Jesse, they're the 'people' that you were talking about?" he asked.  
  
Jesse looked guiltily to Charlie, but nevertheless, he tried to reassure his best friend with a plausible explanation.   
  
"Charlie, be cool, man. They're ok. Besides, I'm just gonna conduct a little…business with them. That's all."  
  
At that moment, Portman and Fulton had reached their table. Jesse stood up to welcome the pair while Charlie remained sitting, quietly observing the exchange.  
  
"Yo, fellas, glad you got my message," Jesse said, looking from Portman to Fulton. Neither spoke to the boy before acknowledging Charlie's presence and waiting for his approval to stay. Finally, the King offered them a seat.  
  
"So, Hall, how much of the stuff does your boss want?" Portman asked, gesturing across the table to Charlie, who stared back with an unreadable expression. Jesse anxiously glanced at Charlie then leaned in close to Portman, whispering conspiringly.  
  
"Well, I'm not exactly acting under his orders, but I am interested in your merchandise, if you know what I mean..."  
  
"Oh…" Portman grinned, comprehending what Jesse was saying. "Ok, dude, but if you're gonna buy, then we'll need to get out of the open. Too risky, man."  
  
Fulton nodded, joining the conversation at last. "Yeah, you never know who's watching. Even now," he said matter-of-factly and casted a suspicious glance at the other students and some of the faculty around them.  
  
Jesse pursed his lips together, letting the bit of info sink in.  
  
"Ok, then," he concluded, standing up. "We'll do business in the North Hall boys' room. Follow me, gentlemen." They got up to leave.  
  
Jesse laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I'll explain more later, Spaz man. Be back in a few minutes."  
  
Charlie grunted a response and watched the three walked away. To be honest, he wasn't too thrilled that Jesse had gotten into drugs, but it wasn't really of his business. Jesse was a big boy. He could handle himself. Reaching for his backpack, Charlie pulled out the notebook again and stared.   
  
Right now, THIS was his business. And it was a very intriguing business at that.  
  
---------------------  
  
"Adam, will you stop moving around?" Julie asked, exasperated. She had wet toilet paper in her hands and was trying to wipe Adam's face. To no avail, he continued squirming.  
  
"I can't help it, Jules. I mean, what if someone comes in and sees you in here with me?" he whined while combing out his hair into a neat part and trying to dodge the wad of toilet paper threatening to poke out his eye. "It would look kinda wrong," he trailed off and made a face.  
  
Julie smacked him none too lightly on the head, messing up his hair again.  
  
"You dork! It's not my fault that you TOTALLY refused to step foot in the girls' bathroom. Besides, do you realize how much this place reeks of piss? You could at least cooperate when I'm trying to help you out by enduring the stench!" She punched him on the arm to emphasize her point.  
  
"Ow! Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing his sore arm. For a girl, Julie sure hit hard. He concluded that it must have been from all that field hockey she played back in the day.  
  
"Alright, that's better, whiner-boy. Now let's hurry and clean you up before someone DOES comes in and --"  
  
They heard voices approaching from the other side of the door.  
  
Julie and Adam stared wide-eyed at one another.  
  
"Shit!" Adam hissed. And without any further thought, he panicked, shoved Julie into the stall farthest away from the entrance, and closed the door after them, securely locking it.  
  
"Adam!" she whispered hotly. "What are you doing?!" she demanded after getting over the initial shock of being hoarded so quickly into the stall.  
  
Adam clapped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shhh! Shut up and step on the toilet!" he whispered back as he heard the voices grow louder. Julie glared at him but did as she was told. As soon as they both were perched precariously on the toilet seat, Adam let his hand drop from her mouth.  
  
--------------  
  
"Ok, Hall, you sure no one else is here?" Fulton asked, still looking suspiciously at their surroundings.  
  
"Positive, man. Relax. This is the Flying 'V's turf. Everyone knows that," Jesse replied proudly and hopped up to sit on a sink.  
  
"Whatever you say then," Portman said with a shrug. "Fulton, the goods, if you please," he requested and motioned for Fulton to hand him a bag they'd brought along on all of their deals.  
  
"Here, dude."  
  
Portman accepted the bag then opened it up, showing Jesse their merchandise.  
  
"The best of Mr. B's dope, man. All in here."  
  
Jesse smiled, curious. "Oh, really? Who's this 'Mr. B', eh?"  
  
"Nuh uh, no can do, bro. Mr. B prefers to remain confidential, if you know what I mean. Besides, you know how these things are," Portman explained with a careless wave of his hand.  
  
Jesse nodded. "Ok, I respect that. So anyway, whatcha got in here?"  
  
It was Portman's turn to smile.  
  
"All the shit that you could ever want, man -- just name it. We got 3750s, Crystal meth, Aces, Pot, Mushrooms, Blunts, Angel Dust, Speed, Chalk, Acid tabs, Cocktails, X, and more. You want it, we got it. A huge selection guaranteed to satisfy even the most demanding of all stars, my man."  
  
Behind Portman, Fulton smirked. It never failed to amuse him how Portman enjoyed spouting the same old lines to every new buyer. Compared to his pick-up lines, however, these never got tiring.  
  
Meanwhile, Jesse blinked, looking impressed yet slightly confused. He gave the array of drugs a wary glance. There were so many colors, shapes, and forms. Jesse felt his head spin. He finally settled on something he could rely on -- a couple of good old-fashioned blunts.  
  
Portman grinned and accepted the proffered bills from the other's hand.  
  
"Can I interest you in our dime bags? Got some good stuff in there," he said, trying to further entice Jesse, who shook his head.  
  
"Nah, man, not now. Maybe later."  
  
"Alright, dude. If you want more, you know where to find us. Peace easy. Fulton, let's roll." Portman snatched the bag up and jerked his head towards the door.   
  
Jesse stood, staring at the blunts in his hand as Portman left. Fulton turned around and caught his eye before flashing an irritating grin.  
  
"I hope you know what to do with those, Baby Blazer, or else you just wasted some cash. Hahahaha!"   
  
And with that, he strutted out after Portman.  
  
"Fucker…" Jesse muttered and pocketed his blunts. He hoped Charlie wouldn't be too pissed about not being informed about the dealing. But if he was, then Jesse had a nice little blunt with Charlie's name on it. He laughed to himself, thinking of the tired phrase "Sharing is caring."  
  
Jesse was about to leave and go back to the cafeteria when he heard hushed whispers coming from the far side of the bathroom. Slowly, he trod over to the last stall and placed his hand on the handle, jiggling it.   
  
It was stuck.  
  
He yanked it harder, but it wouldn't budge.   
  
"What the hell is this?"   
  
He was about to give it another go, when all of a sudden, the door swung open with such a force that it knocked him over onto the dirty bathroom tiles.  
  
"Run!!"  
  
Jesse cursed and rubbed his head, trying to recover from the fall he had taken. He caught a glimpse of two people -- a boy and a girl -- dashing out the door and realized that he recognized the boy.  
  
"Hey! Come back here!"  
  
He heaved himself from the floor and ran to the doorway, only to come face to face with a deserted hallway.  
  
Jesse let out a growl and slammed his fist into the closest locker he found.  
  
It was too late. They were long gone.   
  
--------------- 


	8. Fucking Hostile!

Title: And I Fell… (Part 7 - "Fucking Hostile!")   
Author: Wari  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
Comments: Thanks to all who read my mess. I love you guys.  
Note: Does Adam live in Edina or is that just my imagination?  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
---------------  
"Fuck! FUCK!!"  
  
All heads turned to Jesse, who approached from the main cafeteria entrance, looking as furious as they had ever seen him.  
  
Connie surfaced from a deep lip-lock with Guy, Goldberg stopped pestering Dwayne for his dessert, and Averman forgot to deliver the punch line to the joke he was telling Luis. Even Ken and Russ stopped arguing and turned to see Jesse storm in.  
  
Charlie was the only one who dared to address him.  
  
"Jesse, what's up, man?"  
  
Jesse sat down, peeved. He pounded a fist on the table, startling his friends.  
  
"I was jumped, Charlie!"  
  
A chorus of 'what's and 'who's went around the table. Charlie stayed quiet for a moment, however, before prompting Jesse again.  
  
"You were jumped? By who?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"That-that boy! From today! Garbage boy!" Jesse sputtered indignantly and turned to look at Ken. "Ken! You knew who he was! Tell me who he is!" he demanded, eyes flashing and making poor Ken shrink away in fear. He was afraid that Jesse would start foaming at the mouth at any moment.  
  
"Jesse, man, I don't know who he is except that his name is Banks..."  
  
Jesse's eyes narrowed while Charlie's widened imperceptibly.   
  
"Banks, huh? Well, that's good enough for me to go on," he announced and pushed himself off the seat. Automatically, Charlie's hand darted out to grab hold of Jesse's shirt sleeve.  
  
"Hey, cool it, Jess," he admonished in a low voice, not wanting the others at the table to overhear him. He tugged on Jesse's sleeve until the other gave up and sat back down again. "Tell me what happened from the beginning."  
  
Jesse let out a harsh sigh. "What does it matter, Charlie? Now, let me go so I can go kick some ass!" He moved to stand up but, this time, was halted by Charlie's forceful grip on his arm.  
  
Charlie glowered. "Jesse, just tell me," he warned once more, looking Jesse straight in the eye.  
  
Jesse sighed, "Fine. It happened when I took the Bash Brothers to our bathroom to make the deal --"  
  
"Our bathroom?" Charlie cut in, confused.  
  
Jesse look annoyed at being interrupted. "Yes, Charlie, the Flying 'V's bathroom. Everyone knows it's ours," he explained, giving a 'duh' look to Charlie, who casually shrugged and motioned for Jesse to continue.  
  
"Anyway, I'd made the deal with Portman and then they left. I was about leave, too, until I heard somebody in one of the stalls. So what do I do? I went to check it out and the next thing I know, I'm lying on the shitty-ass floor, watching that cake-eater Banks and this girl run out."  
  
"So he knocked you out or something?" asked Charlie, frowning.  
  
Jesse squirmed uncomfortably and replied, "I don't really remember, man."  
  
"You don't remember if the guy knocked your lights out?" Charlie questioned in disbelief. The solemn shake of Jesse's head answered his question. Charlie took out a cigarette and lit it. "Well, do you know what were they doing in there?" he asked, mumbling around the slowly burning stick in his mouth.  
  
Jesse sighed in an exasperated fashion. "I don't know. It could have been anything. Makin' out, gettin' high, who gives a fuck? All I know is that they made Jesse Hall look like a fool, and nobody gets away with that, especially a cake-eater like Banks and his little girlfriend."  
  
Charlie was silent. He cocked his head around and noticed that the whole table had been listening to their conversation. At seeing Charlie's annoyed face, everyone quickly went back to their own business. A cough brought his attention back to Jesse.  
  
"Well, Charlie, are you going to help me find this punk or not?"  
  
Charlie took a minute to consider it. He dropped the cigarette stub to the floor and grounded it out with the heel of his sneaker.   
  
"Ok, Jesse. I'll help."  
  
---------------  
  
The Flying 'V', with the exception of Charlie and Jesse, walked down the hall, chatting amongst themselves.  
  
"I wonder what happened to Jesse today…" Dwayne mused aloud.  
  
"Cowboy, weren't you listening when he said he was jumped?" Russ asked while trying to trip Ken up with his foot.  
  
"Quit it, moron," Ken hissed, nearly avoiding what could have been a really embarrassing fall.  
  
"Capt'n Cruncher," replied Russ with a long laugh. Ken looked puzzled, but flipped the laughing boy off just to make sure that Russ didn't get one up on him.  
  
"How come they never fill us in on stuff like this?" Goldberg asked, ignoring Ken and Russ's usual bickering, and looked around for an answer. As he had expected, no one had it.  
  
"Goldie's right, though," Averman piped up suddenly. "Come on, we're all friends here, right? Do they think that we can't be trusted? Oy!"  
  
Of course, Connie was the one to hit him squarely on the head. "Oh, shut up, Averman. They've never done anything to make us doubt them before. You're just reading too much into idiotic ideas that don't exist!"   
  
The group nodded, siding with Connie on the matter.  
  
Overhead, the bell emitted a shrill ring, signaling the beginning of the next class period.  
  
"Eh, might as well go to class today," Luis said, eyeing a blonde standing at the end of the hallway and starting to shuffle away. "Later, guys!" he called out and took off.  
  
"Later, Luis!" they chorused.  
  
As they were already late, the entire group soon split up and went to the remainder of their last classes.   
.  
------------------  
  
Adam sat in class, chewing on his pencil. He'd given up taking down notes some time ago, opting for staring blankly at the dingy walls. For a second, he glanced at Julie, who sat a couple of seats away from him, then turned his attention to his desk, which was covered with various profanities scribbled in both pen and pencil. Adam brought the chewed up pencil to his lips once more.   
  
He wondered what Julie was thinking. Slowly, his eyes wandered back to her seat and found that she was now staring back at him. She tried mouthing a few words to him, but he didn't catch them.   
  
Fortunately, the dismissal bell rang in the middle of their lesson. Everyone gathered their things and automatically filed out of the classroom. Adam caught up with Julie at the door.  
  
"Jules, what were you trying to tell me during class?"  
  
"I can't say now, but I'll tell you on the way to your house," she answered cryptically and hurriedly ushered him out of the class and off school grounds. After they'd past the gates, crossed the street, and boarded the bus to Edina, Julie allowed herself to relax as she and Adam found seats in the back.   
  
"I didn't want to tell you this while we were still in the building, but I overheard something today."  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, trying his best to remain patient.   
  
Julie bit her lip nervously and began again. "Adam, after we made our escape from, you know…" she looked at Adam, who nodded encouragingly.  
  
"I know. Go on."   
  
Julie took a breath. "Well, some of the kids said that Jesse Hall and his friends were looking for us. Actually, for you. I don't know how he could've recognized you, but he did," she finished then glanced at Adam, who had turned a considerable shade whiter.  
  
"Shit. The-the garbage -- earlier today, Julie," he croaked, hoping she'd be able to put two and two together.  
  
Looking thoughtful, Julie nodded. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."  
  
"Jules, how can you be so nonchalant? What am I going to do?!" he asked, voice raising higher with every word. Julie slumped down in her seat as heads began to turn their way. "Those goons are going to murder me!"  
  
"Adam! Stop it!" she berated and Adam immediately quieted down. "Now is not the time for hysterics! We just have to think through this..." She looked out the window and realized that they'd reached their stop. "Hey, we're here."  
  
Hopping up from her seat, Julie led the moping boy off the bus. They found themselves standing in the middle of the suburbia. Not so far down the street, an endless stretch of huge, beautiful houses -- most suitable for upper-middle class families, no doubt -- welcomed the two teenagers. It took only a short walk to reach Adam's house from the bus stop.   
  
The smell of freshly mowed grass invaded their nostrils and Adam sniffled, sneezing suddenly. He hated lawn-mowing day.   
  
They trudged up the long driveway and towards the back door. Adam unlocked it and invited Julie in.  
  
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" he called into the depths of the large house.  
  
No one answered.  
  
He turned to Julie. "Why do I even bother? They're never home."  
  
Julie shrugged in reply.  
  
They climbed the stairs to Adam's room, which was located at the end of the long corridor. Once inside, they threw their schoolbags into the corner and sat together in silence. Normally, Julie would be pestering him for a snack and he'd be writing diligently in his notebook; but under the circumstances, both were too preoccupied with apprehensive thoughts of the next day at school to go about their usual routine. The silence stretched for many minutes, but Julie finally broke it.  
  
"This is silly," she declared, trying to convince Adam that it was so, but not really succeeding. "I mean, come on! What can happen?"  
  
Adam stared at her in disbelief. "Jules! What are you saying?? A LOT can happen!"  
  
Julie turned to face Adam with a grim determination. She took hold of his shoulders and gave him a bit of a shake.   
  
"Get real, Adam! They may be --" she paused, searching for the right word, "-- thugs or what have you, but they wouldn't dare do anything to us that's going to be considered a felony, right?" she reasoned then waited for his response.  
  
All she received was a blank stare.  
  
Julie shook him again.  
  
"Right??" she demanded.  
  
"Julie, you're not helping," Adam deadpanned and shook her grip from his shoulders. He turned to face the window and stared listlessly through the panes. When he spoke again, his tone was morose. "Besides, your assumption won't stop them from killing us. Nothing can stop them from killing us. We're doomed." Adam slumped over onto his bed in defeat.  
  
"Ugh!!" she shouted, grabbed one of Adam's huge pillows, and reared back to hit him square in the face with it.   
  
"Damn! What did you do that for?!" Adam squeaked, rubbing his nose.   
  
"My god, you can be SUCH a queen sometimes, you know?" Julie hit him with the pillow again.   
  
"Ow! Christ, Julie!" cried Adam, who finally sat up to glare viciously at her. Julie ignored him and got up, marching to the corner to retrieve her things. She'd had enough of this frustrating nonsense.  
  
"Where are you going?" came the question from the other side of the room.  
  
"Home, because you're being a dumbass."  
  
Adam's door slammed shut, making the things on his shelves wobble. Thundering footsteps were audible as they descended the stairs and headed for the back door.  
  
Adam laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling as he heard the back door close soundly, leaving him absolutely and utterly alone.  
  
"Touchy…" he muttered, closing his eyes.  
  
Upon opening them, he heaved a troubled sigh.  
  
"Damn, I AM a dumbass…"  
  
-------------------  
  
[[On the other side of town…]]  
  
It was dusk. Charlie unlocked the door to his and his mother's modest home, located in the middle of Minneapolis, and headed straight for the kitchen. Since it was a Tuesday evening, he knew that his mother would be working late, slaving away at Mickey's Diner as usual. Sometimes, he would go visit her, but most of the time, he wouldn't. Besides, the manager didn't like it when 'hoodlums' came inside the restaurant.   
  
He opened the fridge, and instantly, the pale yellow glow illuminated his features. Charlie took out some bread and bologna to make a sandwich.   
  
Yum. Dinner.  
  
He went into the living room with the sandwich and his backpack in tow. Taking a bite out of his dinner, Charlie slung the bag onto the couch and sat down beside it. He leaned back into the cushions, sandwich still in hand, and began to recap the day's events.  
  
Sometimes, Charlie thought, Jesse had more pride than he could handle. This afternoon, it had taken him nearly two class periods to convince Jesse not send out a full search party for Banks, much less maim the poor guy on sight.  
  
He finished the sandwich and wiped the crumbs from his shirt.  
  
Didn't Jesse say that a girl was with Banks? He pondered for a second then pulled out the notebook from his bag. Banks' notebook. Not thinking of how he'd be invading someone else's privacy, Charlie opened it up to a random page and read.  
  
((Sept. 19 -- Hi, it's me again. School sucks, my parents suck, everything sucks. Blah blah. You know the deal. Other than that, nothing's really new around here. Well, besides the crappy lesson in Calculus we just "learned." Jules is really having lots of problems in that class. Math just isn't her thing. Anyway, she's coming over for a tutoring session today. I just hope that she remembers that I don't get off work until seven. Julie is such a forgetful hag sometimes. Hmm, I hope she doesn't read this.))  
  
Julie. Jules.  
  
Charlie's brows wrinkled. Was that the name of the girl that Jesse mentioned? Julie?  
  
He shut the notebook and shoved it back into his backpack.  
  
After hearing Jesse's lack of an explanation concerning his attack that day, Charlie was skeptical. In addition to having too much pride at times, Jesse was hot-headed and even downright vengeful over the most insignificant things. He truly wanted to believe Jesse's story, but yet, did not want to be led on another one of his friend's trivial escapades.   
  
Charlie leaned back into the cushions, calculating an effective game plan.   
  
Finally, a light bulb switched on inside his head and Charlie smiled in spite of himself. As long as he was concerned, everything was settled:   
  
Before confronting Banks about the 'incident' with Jesse, he wanted to find this 'Julie' girl and get her version of the story.   
  
Satisfied at last, Charlie wandered off into his room and didn't come out for the rest of the night.  
  
----------------------- 


	9. The Beginning of Things to Come

Title: And I Fell… (Part 8 - "The Beginning of Things to Come")   
  
Author: Wari  
  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
  
Comments: More whiny!Adam stuff here and the Bash Brothers appear again. Oh, and I also poke fun at Dwayne.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
  
----------------  
  
Adam was depressed.  
  
Really depressed.  
  
So many things were going wrong in his life.   
  
First, his notebook, which contained VERY private information, was missing. Second, ever since his and Julie's falling out yesterday, the girl still wouldn't say a word to him. He'd called her three times last night, only to be greeted by Mister Dial Tone when she hung up in his face all three times. So in conclusion, he was beginning to regret his lousy attitude from yesterday.   
  
And as if he didn't have enough problems already, his loving parents had just informed him that they were heading out to a two-week-long conference in New York the following morning. In a hurry, they had slapped a hundred dollar bill in his hand along with a couple of charge cards and left. Well, so much for any sort of prior notice.   
  
Refusing to mull over his parents, Adam concentrated on patching things up with Julie. He hoped to spot her from the various crowds gathered on campus in order to apologize for his juvenile behavior.   
  
Knowing from past experiences, he wouldn't last long if Julie didn't start talking to him again soon. The memory of the vicious name-calling fight they had back in freshmen year came to mind. He involuntarily shuddered, especially at the recollection of one particular name she'd yelled at him during their heated argument. He remembered how they'd almost severed their friendship over that day, that fight.  
  
After shaking off the bad memory, Adam directed his thoughts back to locating Julie's whereabouts. Instead of finding her, his eyes fell on a large group of tough-looking kids walking past the school gates.   
  
The Flying 'V'!  
  
Panicking, he ducked around a corner before any of them could have spotted him.  
  
After making sure that none of the gang had seen him, Adam kicked the dirt at his feet as he reevaluated his manhood. He hated hiding out like a coward, but it was no use. He'd managed to make an enemy out of Jesse Hall, the Flying 'V's "second in command," and sooner or later, he was going to have to face the music. In other words -- he was going to get his face bashed into a bloody pulp.  
  
Well, he reasoned, assessing the seriousness of the situation, better later than sooner.   
  
And so, Adam hid behind the corner until the 'V' were out of sight. He let out a relieved breath as he watched them disappear somewhere into the school. Cautiously, he edged away from his hiding spot, his eyes glued to the large school doors.  
  
When the coast was clear, Adam rushed off with the hope of finding Julie before homeroom began.  
  
--------------  
  
"Wow. It's only 8:30 and the Bash Brothers have already kicked off their drug trafficking. I'm impressed," commented Russ as he watched the Bashes already at work in some obscure corner of the school. He turned to Guy, who surprisingly wasn't attached to Connie at the moment. "So where's your girlfriend, Germaine?"  
  
Guy sighed. "I dunno. Probably skipping school to go shopping. I'll never understand girls, man."  
  
"I know what you mean, Guy-Wee. I have the same problem with Sarah," added Averman, who was currently drawing something on his portable dry-erase board. Guy threw him a strange look.  
  
"Ok, I'm gonna let the 'Guy-Wee' thing slide for now, but who is this Sarah?" he asked curiously.  
  
Averman's expression contorted into one of utter shock. "You mean you don't know about my Sarah??"  
  
Guy rolled his eyes. "If I'd known about her, I wouldn't have asked now, would I? Lame-brain…"  
  
"Hmm," the red head considered. "Ok, I see where you're coming from." He flipped the board around to show Guy.  
  
Guy laughed. "You stupid fuck! That's Sarah Michelle Gellar!"  
  
Averman grinned and waggled his eyebrows comically. "I know."  
  
Goldberg snatched the board from Averman. "Hey, Aves, why do you have this thing with you, anyway?"   
  
Averman snatched it back and fawned over the picture. "Can't a guy just like to draw? Geez!"  
  
Their banter was interrupted when Jesse appeared from out of nowhere.  
  
"Hey, anyone seen Charlie?" Jesse asked, appealing to the group. A chorus of 'nah, man' and 'nope' echoed back to him.  
  
Jesse looked peeved. "Dammit! Charlie was supposed to help me track down that Banks kid today."  
  
Dwayne's expression was clueless, as usual, yet somehow, he was able to come up with a sound suggestion. "Uh, Jesse, there's more than five of us here. Wouldn't that be enough to find one person?" he drawled, and his friends gawked at him in disbelief. "What? What did I say, ya'll?"  
  
"Wow," Russ said in awe. "Cowboy actually made a good point."  
  
Everyone turned to stare at Jesse, who scoffed.  
  
"Ok, so he has a point. Big whoop."  
  
"Come on, Jesse man," Kenny spoke up. "We're the Flying 'V' and we always stick together, especially when it's time for some ass kicking."  
  
Jesse looked like he'd had enough of this group discussion.  
  
"Fine, then. If you all want to help, then go ahead and help. But since he humiliated me, I get to mess him up first, got it?"  
  
"Whatever you say, man," Ken spoke for everyone.   
  
"Good," Jesse curtly stated then took off by himself down the hall.  
  
Puzzled, the other boys watched him go.  
  
"Jesus, what's his problem?" Luis ventured to ask as soon as Jesse was out of ear-shot.  
  
Averman snickered and held up his dry-erase board with a dopey grin. Luis gave him a sarcastic smile. "Ha ha, you're such a comedian, Averman. NOT!"   
  
Everyone proceeded to smack Averman on the head with the exception of Dwayne, who stared quizzically at the three-letter word on the redhead's board.  
  
"Uh, fellers, what's 'Pimis'?"  
  
Just when they thought Dwayne was wising up, some brain-dead comment had to come and mess it up.  
  
---------------  
  
Portman laughed, counting the wad of bills in his hand.   
  
"Dude, we are racking up sales like crazy!"  
  
For the first time that day, Fulton smiled. He couldn't blame Portman's exuberance, since they were making lots of profit that morning. However, the smile left his face as quickly as it had come.   
  
He stared at Portman enviously. Fulton hated being the paranoid one. Sometimes, he wished he could be as carefree and easy-going as Portman, even if it did tend to make him seem oblivious at times. He didn't mind that. In fact, he'd give anything just to plaster on a smile and keep the business rolling, to pretend like they were invincible to the world and its problems...   
  
Lost in thought, Fulton nervously bit his thumbnail.  
  
Fulton wasn't ignorant. He kept his eyes and ears open. He knew what was happening and what secrets everybody's hushed whispers held.   
  
It was no surprise to him that rumors were circulating on campus grounds involving him, Portman, and yesterday's deal in the bathroom with Jesse Hall. He thought back to Jesse's reassurance and how it didn't mean shit, especially when there now was a leak in their vital operation.  
  
Unconsciously curling one hand into a tight fist, Fulton punch the palm of his other hand, creating a fleshy 'smack.'   
  
This situation could very well compromise his and Portman's positions as Hill Haven's most popular substance peddlers. Mr. B wouldn't like that at all. It would definitely make business in the teenage market drop drastically, and he certainly couldn't let that happen.   
  
Besides, there was no way he was giving up this high-rolling lifestyle over one sloppy deal with an amateur. No fucking way.  
  
"Hey, Fult, what are you thinking so hard about?" Portman's voice broke into his silent musings.   
  
"Nothing, man," he fibbed, but Portman didn't seem to notice. Portman never noticed. Fulton leaned against a row of lockers, giving his friend a half-smile. "Just spacing. I think that puff I had this morning is still in my system."  
  
"Oh, ok," Portman said with a grin and a shrug and went back to counting their money.  
  
Fulton sighed.   
  
Somehow, somebody was going to pay for this. Somebody was going to have to pay for endangering their jobs.  
  
A dark glint appeared in his eyes.  
  
And he knew exactly who.   
  
---------------  
  
Charlie didn't show up for class until the lunch period came around. When he did, he got right to work.   
  
Contrary to popular belief, he'd never gone so far as to hunt people down; but strangely, this particular situation fascinated him to the point where he'd even take the opportunity to conduct an investigation on the Julie girl.   
  
So far, he had almost little to no information on Adam Banks or his girlfriend. Apparently, the pair was as elusive as a couple of bandits. But Charlie wasn't worried; he'd get his info sooner or later.   
  
He glanced over to the Flying 'V's table, which was full with an exception of two seats, his and Jesse's.  
  
"Yo, Spazway!"   
  
Charlie felt someone punching his arm.  
  
"I didn't think you'd show up. Where you been?"  
  
"I felt like staying in bed this morning."  
  
Jesse laughed. "All right. Well, you ready to track down that cake-eater, Banks, man?"  
  
Oh, shit. In the middle of devising his brilliant game plan, Charlie had totally forgotten that helping Jesse to pursue and destroy Banks was definitely out of the question. Nevertheless, he didn't want to burst his friend's bubble just yet.  
  
"Uh, right," he lied, stuffing his hands into his pockets, as if he was trying to hide his guilt.   
  
Jesse beamed, unaware of Charlie's lack of enthusiasm at the suggestion.   
  
"Fuck, yeah! Let's go then!"  
  
Charlie sighed, not able to take any more of Jesse's over zealousness. "Jesse, I can't today. There's some personal business I gotta get done."  
  
Jesse blinked, looking mildly surprised and let down. "Oh, okay, man. I'm down with that, but you will help me find the bastard later, right?"  
  
"Sure, Jess," Charlie assured half-heartedly.   
  
Jesse smiled, nonetheless. "Aight, later, Spazzy!"  
  
"Shithead," Charlie joked as Jesse walked back to their table.  
  
Now, to attend to his agenda.  
  
--------------- 


	10. So Disarming

Title: And I Fell… (Part 9 - "So Disarming" )   
  
Author: Wari  
  
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com  
  
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it  
  
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.  
  
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!   
  
Comments: This chapter really was a big mess. I just threw it all together. Goodness KNOWS how many times I've revised this hunk o' junk!   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P  
  
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Strolling purposely away from the lunchroom and Jesse, Charlie squinted to block out the rays of bright sunlight threatening to blind him. He approached a group of girls standing in the center of the ill-weeded courtyard. Several of them turned their heads to him as he neared.   
  
"Charlie!" an attractive, dark-haired girl squealed excitedly as she skipped away from the other girls and up to him with a dazzling smile.   
  
"Hey, Linda," Charlie gave a tight smile, but in return, allowed his super-oblivious, head cheerleader ex-girlfriend to hang onto his arm.  
  
"I haven't seen you since last school term! So what brings you to me today, hon?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at Charlie. She was so excited that he had finally come around!  
  
Charlie quickly ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Well, I've been trying to find a girl named Julie. Do you know anyone with that name?"  
  
"A girl named 'Julie'?" she questioned, crinkling her nose. Charlie raised an eyebrow, noticing that her grip on his arm had loosened quite considerably.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Julie, Julie, hmm…" she pondered to herself. "If I remember correctly, I think a girl named Julie played field hockey last year. Julie…Gaffney? I think she was the goalie. I don't know. Sports confuse me. So is that who you mean?"  
  
Charlie tuned out Linda's babbling until a name finally struck his ear. Julie Gaffney? He gave it some consideration. Oh, hell. He had nothing else to go on, so what did he have to lose?  
  
  
  
"Uh, yeah, her," he replied, deciding to agree with whomever Linda came up with.  
  
"Really? Oh, ok," she said, seemingly uninterested. From the corner of his eye, he saw Linda slowly nod, a familiar expression creeping up on her fair face. A moment later, she stared at him openly with an accusatory gleam in her eye. "So, what do you WANT with her, Charlie?" she finally questioned, looking indignant. Charlie had to refrain from shaking off Linda's arm and walking as far away from her as possible.   
  
"Linda, don't start…" he warned in a low voice. Even an entire year after their breakup, the poor girl was still as jealous and delusional as ever.  
  
Linda gasped, eyes wide. The mere thought of HER Charlie hooking up with another girl nearly sent her into a serious fit of hyperventilation. And she so was not in the mood for one right now…  
  
"Charlie!" she whined, tugging on Charlie's arm like an annoying toddler. "Are you going to ask her out? If you are, I don't see why. I mean, she is, like, NOT pretty at all! Besides, why would you, King of Hill Haven, want to date such a loser tomboy like her? I demand an answer, now!"  
  
Charlie sighed. Linda always did have a knack for trying his patience to an extreme. But he did have to admit that it was her stubborn ways that initially attracted him to her.  
  
"Linda, we broke up a long time ago. You shouldn't give a damn about the other girls I meet," he reminded her, wishing that he was somewhere far away from her and her nonsense. Why couldn't she get it through her head that they were OVER?  
  
"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help it if I still have feelings for you," she declared with something akin to a pout on her lips. She was putting on her puppy-dog face just for him.   
  
Charlie almost rolled his eyes at her. Almost.   
  
"Just tell me where she is, ok?" he suggested, irritation laced in his tone. He'd had enough of Linda's crap. Period. The itch to jerk his arm away from her nearly consumed him.  
  
Fortunately before he could've done anything drastic to remove her vice-like grip, he felt her withdraw her arm from his and shrink away from him. "Fine. If that's what you want," she conceded and sulked, eyes shifting from him and flitting across campus. At last, she found who Charlie was looking for.   
  
"She's that blonde girl standing by the bench over there."   
  
Charlie glanced at the girl by the bench then back at Linda. "Thanks," he mumbled and made his way across the grounds.  
  
"Don't mention it," Linda dejectedly replied and stared after him longingly before returning to her cheerleader friends.  
  
--------------------  
  
Julie strolled around the huge school alone. The chattering of other students surrounding her made her mind wander back to Adam, whom she'd been actively avoiding since their little spat yesterday afternoon. She bowed her head, studying her shoes as she walked, and a wry smile found its way to her lips.  
  
She was alone and it was all Adam's fault.   
  
If only he hadn't have been acting like such an idiot, they wouldn't be in this situation right now. They wouldn't be fighting. Sometimes, she wished that he would grow up and face his problems instead of running away from them and hiding. She sighed, idly wondering when Adam would eventually give in and come crawling back to apologize to her.  
  
Not paying attention to where she was heading, Julie walked right into a solid, yet yielding body before her.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
Before she could lose her balance and fall flat on her rear, a pair of sturdy arms reached out to steady her. Julie instinctively extricated herself from the stranger's hold and jumped back, ready to give whoever it was who dared to harass her a serious verbal lashing.  
  
"Hey! Watch where you going, you jerk-off!" she snapped, bringing her head up to see who it was that stood in her path.  
  
"Julie Gaffney?" a cool voice inquired.  
  
Charlie Conway stood there and blocked her way.   
  
Julie's eyes widened momentarily before she regained enough composure to manage a weak reply.  
  
"Y-yeah."  
  
Charlie nodded and motioned to speak. "Hi, I'm Charlie Conway --"  
  
"I know who you are," she curtly acknowledged, cutting off his introduction. She nervously stared at Charlie, who merely raised his eyebrows, a bit taken aback by her bold interruption.   
  
"So I see," he said, clearing his throat. "Well then, Julie, I need to talk you," he began, slowly taking a step forward. "It's about something very important." The action prompted Julie, who had the reflexes of a cat, to take a quick step back.  
  
"How do you know who I am?" she asked defensively, panic overtaking her rationale. She hugged her school books against her chest, as though they were a shield.   
  
"My ex told me," clarified Charlie, who jerked a thumb in the direction of Linda's clique.  
  
Julie almost grimaced as soon as she caught sight of Linda. Ugh, she thought. Linda Madison, the psycho-bitch cheerleader, who was always at the hockey games last year.  
  
Julie turned back to Charlie only to find him staring peculiarly at her. Not really knowing what else to say, she side-stepped Charlie. "Well, I have to go," she hurriedly excused herself and quickly continued down the path leading to the main building.   
  
Charlie shook his head disdainfully. Why was this girl acting so skittish? Well, maybe something else would make her change her mind and stay. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out the missing notebook. He hoped she was the Julie mentioned in Banks' notebook.  
  
"Hey, do you recognize this?" he called out to her, holding the notebook in front of himself. Julie risked a glance at the tall brunette and immediately recognized what was in his hand.   
  
Holy shit -- Adam's diary!  
  
"That's --"  
  
Bingo, thought Charlie with a smug grin. "Your boyfriend's, right?" he asked, amused at the astounded look on Julie's face. Slightly out of breath, she hastened back to where Charlie waited.   
  
"He is NOT my boyfriend."  
  
Charlie flashed a smirk at hearing her contradiction and amended. "Well, then, it's your friend's?"  
  
"Yeah, it's his," she hesitantly confirmed. "But how did you get it?"   
  
Charlie shrugged in a careless manner. "I found it the other day."   
  
Julie blinked, surprised, then eyed him warily. "So…you just found it?? Like, by accident??" she asked tentatively, not wanting to say anything that might set him off.  
  
Charlie sat down on the bench then uncaringly arranged his 6'0 ft frame on it.   
  
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're getting at," he said, giving her a sideways glance and catching the embarrassed look on her face. "It was just lying on the floor and I found it," he finished, tilting his head back to stare up into the branches of the tree that shielded them from the sunlight.  
  
A moment of awkward silence passed between them. It was starting to unnerve Julie, who shuffled from side to side on her feet. She had to get away. NOW.  
  
"Uh, thanks for returning the notebook. I'm sure he'll appreciate it! Well, I'll just be --" Julie reached out for the notebook, only to have Charlie pull it out of her reach. " -- going! Yeah…"  
  
"Wait," he said, reaching up and seizing by her elbow. "If I give this back, you have to tell me a couple of things."  
  
"What?"  
  
Charlie ignored her. "Do we have a deal?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. Wha-what do you want to know?" she stuttered, desperately trying to keep her cool despite the uncomfortable hold Charlie had on her.  
  
"What happened yesterday?" The grip on Julie's elbow tightened noticeably, making her wince. "And don't bother lying because I WILL know," he added and abruptly let her go.  
  
Julie gazed at Charlie in guileless contempt as she rubbed her sore arm. "Look, Adam didn't do anything, okay? This is all a big misunderstanding, " she explained.  
  
"Really? Tell me about it," he said, an infuriating smirk working its way to his lips. Julie seethed internally. Guys like Charlie Conway, who think they run the show, always pissed her off.  
  
"Fine. I'll tell you. Adam and I, we were in the bathroom yesterday. I was helping him clean up after YOUR boys threw him in a garbage can. We hid in a bathroom stall when YOUR friend came in to deal drugs. When he was done, he was trying to open our stall door so we freaked and ran out. End of story."   
  
At the end of her tale, Charlie suddenly laughed, the reaction bringing a scowl to Julie's face. If there was one thing that Julie hated more than being intimidated, it was definitely being ridiculed.   
  
"What's so funny?" she ventured to question.  
  
  
  
Charlie stopped laughing and stared intensely at Julie, making her squirm. "You mean, that was it?" he asked with interest.  
  
Julie nodded once.   
  
"So…you and your friend didn't jump my friend?"  
  
Julie surprised herself by scoffing at his question. "No! We just pushed open the door and ran out. I guess your friend just happened to fall and hit his head in the process. Maybe that's where his warped accusation came from," she finished confidently, but jumped as Charlie stood up and grabbed her arm again.  
  
When he spoke, his tone was firm.  
  
"You'd better be telling me the absolute truth."   
  
Julie shook her head. "I'm not lying. That's what happened."   
  
After a several moments of standing there together, Charlie let go of her arm. "Ok, I believe you," he said and sat down on the bench again. His words caused Julie to sigh in relief and relax a little. She was stunned, however, when Charlie patted the seat next to him and stared up at her. It was an invitation. She looked back at him doubtfully.  
  
"Don't freak. If you don't want to sit, then fine."  
  
Julie didn't know why she did it, but the next thing she knew, she was sitting down beside him.  
  
Charlie appraised her with a casual glance. Julie sat up stiffly, looking like she was ready to bolt at a moment's notice. She could practically feel Charlie's eyes boring into her profile.  
  
"So, now that we've got that little matter out of the way, tell me one more thing I wanna know."  
  
"What now?" she asked calmly, waiting.  
  
"Tell me where your friend is."  
  
His demand caught Julie off guard. "What? But he didn't do anything. W-what do you want with him?"  
  
"That's none of your business, but if you wish to get his notebook back, then you'll have to answer me. Remember our deal, Julie?" Charlie waved Adam's notebook tantalizingly in front of her, looking smug.   
  
Julie bit her lip. "Honestly, I don't know where he is," she supplied helplessly. "But you'll still give me that notebook, right?"  
  
"No can do, Julie. You only fulfilled half of the deal, so I'll just have to hang onto it for now," he said with a complacent smile, while Julie gaped in shock. In one fluid motion, Charlie tucked the notebook he'd been carrying into his bag and got up from the bench. Immediately, Julie jumped up from the bench after him.  
  
"Please, give that book to me! You can't-- I mean, you can't just…" Julie faltered, looking somewhat flustered at the sight of his easy smile. He strode up to her and leant down, softly whispering into her ear.   
  
"Do me a favor, will you?" he asked and pulled back from her. She heard the distinct flick of a lighter and cocked her head to stare Charlie, who now had a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. "Tell him that I have what he wants. If he wants it back, he's going to have to come to me himself. No exceptions, you understand?"   
  
Julie stood there dumbfounded, gazing after Charlie as he turned towards the cafeteria and walked away, a faint stream of smoke trailing behind him.  
  
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End file.
